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Made in us
Dakka Veteran




Miles City, MT

Pulling a knife on someone over a fething GAME!? Come on, is it really worth someone's life? Or getting arrested? It is poetic justice that only Bob's miniatures broke when he flipped the table.


That is kind of what everyone thought. Which is why he received a lifetime ban. To this day no one will play 40k or MTG with him. And "Jim" everyone loves to play against. He always has a good mood and cracks dirty jokes, most of them at himself. Very rarely does he make fun of anyone other than himself or his brothers. Win or lose going against Jim is always a fun game. I will say Bob isn't indicative of the local gaming community where I live. In fact, most of them are some of the most welcoming fun people I have met. When I first started coming into the store they welcomed me in right away. So sad the store closed.

Twinkle, Twinkle little star.
I ran over your Wave Serpents with my car. 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran




Mississippi

I'm the guy Sinful was talking about who had the knife pulled on him and his card stabbed.

Dude was legit mad at the game because he was losing to one of those old premade World Champ decks. I was wearing him out with a some kind of lightning elemental and he said.

"You tap that one more time and I'm going to cut you and that card"

I looked up. Then I tapped the card. Low and behold he freaking stabs the dang card outta nowhere. Cuts it right in the middle. Lucky for me one of the guys in the shop that day was a local bouncer for the club next to the shop. His butt got ban hammered hard.



   
Made in us
Bounding Assault Marine




running amok, against the reality of defeat

I lived in phillipsburg, nj most of my life. The FLGS was called Imagination Workshop.
I was quite involved with miniatures gaming, running a american civil war 15mm johnny reb club, and running what the store gw rep said was "the largest blood bowl league in the north east". Man, we had 32 players, solid players, in that league...
Anyway, the owners were computer program writers, and after so many years(1981-1997) they gave the place up to be full time computer nerds.
In 1999, the owner killed his wife. With a "blunt object". Witch i heard was a small malet.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/12/24 05:38:39


come join us
greg graffin 
   
Made in us
Hellacious Havoc




Kansas, USA

Mr.Church13 wrote:
I'm the guy Sinful was talking about who had the knife pulled on him and his card stabbed.

Dude was legit mad at the game because he was losing to one of those old premade World Champ decks. I was wearing him out with a some kind of lightning elemental and he said.

"You tap that one more time and I'm going to cut you and that card"

I looked up. Then I tapped the card. Low and behold he freaking stabs the dang card outta nowhere. Cuts it right in the middle. Lucky for me one of the guys in the shop that day was a local bouncer for the club next to the shop. His butt got ban hammered hard.
That is insane. Everyone gets mad at a game every once in awhile. I myself have lost a few "One's only" dice to the abyss when I've haphazardly tossed them in frustration. (Never at anyone, usually a nice open corner where no one can get hurt and nothing can get broken.) Yet I've never been "Out for blood" angry. That guy sounds nuts. At least you won right lol?

"Because we couldn't be trusted. The Emperor needed a weapon that would never obey its own desires before those of the Imperium. He needed a weapon that would never bite the hand that feeds. The World Eaters were not that weapon. We've all drawn blades purely for the sake of shedding blood, and we've all felt the exultation of winning a war that never even needed to happen. We are not the tame, reliable pets that the Emperor wanted. The Wolves obey, when we would not. The Wolves can be trusted, when we never could. They have discipline we lack, because their passions are not aflame with the Butcher's Nails buzzing in the back of their skulls.

The Wolves will always come to the heel when called. In that regard, it is a mystery why they name themselves wolves. They are tame, collared by the Emperor, obeying his every whim. But a wolf doesn't behave that way. Only a dog does.

That is why we are the Eaters of Worlds, and the War Hounds no longer."
- Eighth Captain Khârn  
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






 paulson games wrote:
There used to be a game store in Naperville called Game Warden which was located about two blocks away from the college and downtown area. They ran a huge vampire game that was pretty much out of control and had hundreds of players that spread all over the downtown and riverwalk area. The town was pretty much looking for any means they could to shut down the store and the game as it was contributing to all sorts of vandalism and townspeople being harassed etc. They didn't have to work too hard as the store owner was incapable of keeping things above board, despite making money hand over fist from the game he hadn't paid his back taxes owed his employees for about 3 months worth of pay, and apparently had been using the game as his private meat market for underage girls. (he was in his late 30s) He also had a hidden bedroom tucked away in the rear of the building where he'd take his underage friends. (serious creeper style)

I was at the store card gaming with one of my friends who worked there when he got a call from the owner saying he was leaving town, he'd knocked up one of the girls, there were multiple warrants out for him and that the store was being seized in the morning. Nobody would be getting paid the wages they were owed so whatever is still there in the morning the cops are going to take, which was his indirect way of saying if you want for your overdue wages you better loot the place.

The whole experience left such a stain with the town that they haven't allowed any gaming stores in the downtown area since (and it's been close to 17-18 years at this point) A bunch of people who were entirely unconnected with Game Warden have tried to open stores but the town keeps denying them business permits. Some stores have opened since but they are all out towards the mall or in other areas well away from the downtown & college.

The more traditional gaming like ccgs and minis that were confined to the store itself were fine and didn't cause any of the disruption. The vampire game that basically devolved into mobs of unruly underage drinking and petty criminals are what doomed that place and the city rightfully looked at the store owner as the ring leader and all around total scum bag.


I'm curious about the nature of this vampire game, though. Care to elaborate on that?

I went to Hershey Park in central PA this year, and I have to say I was more than a little disappointed. I fully expected the entire theme park to be make entirely of chocolate, but no. Here in America, we have "building codes," and some other nonsense about chocolate melting if don't store it someplace kept below room temperature. 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut





Nottinghamshire

pejota wrote:
FLGS in my hometown (can't mention specifics since it's under new management) had two employees: the owner and a guy who lived with him.

The story goes that the guy tried to steal some MTG cards or packs, got caught, and instead of calling the police and pressing charges, the owner makes him work off the debt as an employee.

Well, that was about 96 or 97. The guy must have tried to steal every Black Lotus ever printed because he worked at the shop for at least 10 years. Some where along the line the employee ended up living with the owner and his family; husband, wife, a boy and three girls.

Seems kinda fishy, but whatever. If the guy wants to be a modern day indentured servant, at least he's getting three hot meals and a bed right?

Not long after the shop moves across town, we start to notice the employee is sporting some fresh bruises and a couple of shiners about three or four times a month. Someone finally gets the nerve to ask him what happened and he claims that he's sparring/boxing/MMA training with the boy. IIRC, the owner's son was into some sort of fighting; karate or whatever. So his story wasn't that far fetched.

As time goes on, this turns into double shiners, broken nose, busted teeth... you get the picture.

Sadly, we often joked that the employee was probably the owner's gimp, but only one of us really knew what was going on.

Years after most of us left town for college, jobs, or career changes my buddy finally tells me what he learned. The owner used to get pissed at the employee and just beat the ever living tar out him on a somewhat regular basis. My buddy went to the shop one day to purchase a copy of MTG Online, back when you could buy the CD to install on your computer. He told me that all hell was breaking loose in the office and no one had noticed he walked in. He quietly slipped back out of the store and stopped being a regular attendee at the place.

Not sure if that's the weirdest part or this is: if you never saw the bruises and whatnot, you'd swear the two were best buddies in an Odd Couple sort of way. They got along with each other, had a good rapport, were always quick with a story to tell.... Looking back, that was the weirdest part for me.
That may just be the saddest thing I've read online in a good while.
Sounds like the guy being beat had some serious problems and no "out". If the genders were swapped, it stops being even remotely amusing.

LFGS horror story, but not the LFGS itself: I was once in central Manchester when City were playing United in some fairly major football event. The match ended whilst our Heroclix tournament was still going on. The store owner just quietly got up and put all the shutters on the windows, and after a short while all hell broke loose on the street outside. People jumping (happily) on police cars, drunks, revellers, you name it.
You've never seen such a deer in headlights moment as the rather gentle heroclix players realising the day they'd chosen to attend the tourney.

Nobody was hurt, and it was pretty amusing looking back. At the time I was scared as I had to go home alone on the train, and didn't much fancy my chances of not getting jumped.


[ Mordian 183rd ] - an ongoing Imperial Guard story with crayon drawings!
[ "I can't believe it's not Dakka!" ] - a buttery painting and crafting blog
 
   
Made in us
Heroic Senior Officer





Western Kentucky

pejota wrote:
FLGS in my hometown (can't mention specifics since it's under new management) had two employees: the owner and a guy who lived with him.

The story goes that the guy tried to steal some MTG cards or packs, got caught, and instead of calling the police and pressing charges, the owner makes him work off the debt as an employee.

Well, that was about 96 or 97. The guy must have tried to steal every Black Lotus ever printed because he worked at the shop for at least 10 years. Some where along the line the employee ended up living with the owner and his family; husband, wife, a boy and three girls.

Seems kinda fishy, but whatever. If the guy wants to be a modern day indentured servant, at least he's getting three hot meals and a bed right?

Not long after the shop moves across town, we start to notice the employee is sporting some fresh bruises and a couple of shiners about three or four times a month. Someone finally gets the nerve to ask him what happened and he claims that he's sparring/boxing/MMA training with the boy. IIRC, the owner's son was into some sort of fighting; karate or whatever. So his story wasn't that far fetched.

As time goes on, this turns into double shiners, broken nose, busted teeth... you get the picture.

Sadly, we often joked that the employee was probably the owner's gimp, but only one of us really knew what was going on.

Years after most of us left town for college, jobs, or career changes my buddy finally tells me what he learned. The owner used to get pissed at the employee and just beat the ever living tar out him on a somewhat regular basis. My buddy went to the shop one day to purchase a copy of MTG Online, back when you could buy the CD to install on your computer. He told me that all hell was breaking loose in the office and no one had noticed he walked in. He quietly slipped back out of the store and stopped being a regular attendee at the place.

Not sure if that's the weirdest part or this is: if you never saw the bruises and whatnot, you'd swear the two were best buddies in an Odd Couple sort of way. They got along with each other, had a good rapport, were always quick with a story to tell.... Looking back, that was the weirdest part for me.

Kind of reminds me of a store I used to go to a long time ago.

The store literally only had one worker as far as I could tell, who was there 7 days a week, from 10 AM or so till 10pm or later, every single day. Went there on and off for years and not once did I see any kind of evidence that anybody else worked there. The guy was always behind the desk painting, and seemed to be in a cheerful mood. I just don't know why on earth he was always there. The owner never really worked either from what I can tell other than the higher end "pay rent, order stock" kind of stuff. Apparently the guy ran several businesses in the area and literally ran the store almost as a club.

The guy behind the counter was kind of passive in that he didn't like to argue with people, but I don't think he was being held there against his will, I just never got why the guy was pushing 80 hour weeks at a simple retail job. He's still there too, so he's been there at least 5 years doing this. Who knows, maybe he just loves chilling out at a hobby store all day.



'I've played Guard for years, and the best piece of advice is to always utilize the Guard's best special rule: "we roll more dice than you" ' - stormleader

"Sector Imperialis: 25mm and 40mm Round Bases (40+20) 26€ (Including 32 skulls for basing) " GW design philosophy in a nutshell  
   
Made in us
Combat Jumping Rasyat





Palitine Il

 MrMoustaffa wrote:


*snip*

I just never got why the guy was pushing 80 hour weeks at a simple retail job. He's still there too, so he's been there at least 5 years doing this. Who knows, maybe he just loves chilling out at a hobby store all day.




Honestly if the pay was decent (comfortably pays for apartment, food, minis, etc) and it was a low pressure job I'd jump at it. My FLGS is run and staffed by gamers / hobbiests and the one complaint I've heard from them is no time for their own gaming etc..

Fortunately I'm blessed with one of the best game stores as my FLGS the closest I've ever seen to a problem is one of the Staff asking us to watch our language. There were a bunch of twenty somethings there and games were going crazy prompting a flood of WTFs and holy "gack" how did that happen? Type comments going around. No anger, just unnecessary use of expletives. And the only "horror" story is when the roof started leaking at the end of winter a year or two ago ruining a chunk of their stock.
   
Made in us
Martial Arts Fiday






Nashville, TN

Truly, sitting on my butt painting all day while getting paid isn't much of a horror at all. lol

"Holy Sh*&, you've opened my eyes and changed my mind about this topic, thanks Dakka OT!"

-Nobody Ever

Proverbs 18:2

"CHEESE!" is the battlecry of the ill-prepared.

 warboss wrote:

GW didn't mean to hit your wallet and I know they love you, baby. I'm sure they won't do it again so it's ok to purchase and make up.


Albatross wrote:I think SlaveToDorkness just became my new hero.

EmilCrane wrote:Finecast is the new Matt Ward.

Don't mess with the Blade and Bolter! 
   
Made in us
Ancient Ultramarine Venerable Dreadnought






Illinois

Here's another horror story

One day in August (I think) , I went to my FLGS to get an imperial bunker (which I painted as an Ultramarines bunker). I had calculated the total (including sales tax) at $35.80. Well, when the clerk rang it up, he said "$35.81". So, I stood there, scared, thinking "What in the feth am I gonna do?" But then, I noticed a Take a penny\Leave a penny box with 6 pennies in it. I asked the clerk "Can I take a penny out of the red box?" and the clerk said "Sure, that's what it's there for." So I did, and went home with the bunker and $0.00.

Thing about it was, I checked my calculations again with an online Sales Tax Calculator (Rate was 8.5%), and I still got $35.80. I'm confused as to why it was $35.81 still.

Looking at this thread, I see you've got scarier stories than I've had.

INSANE army lists still available!!!! Now being written in 8th edition format! I have Index Imperium 1, Index Imperium 2, Index Xenos 2, Codex Orks Codex Tyranids, Codex Blood Angels and Codex Space Marines!
PM me for an INSANE (100K+ points) if you desire.
 
   
Made in us
Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

 KaptinBadrukk wrote:
Here's another horror story

One day in August (I think) , I went to my FLGS to get an imperial bunker (which I painted as an Ultramarines bunker). I had calculated the total (including sales tax) at $35.80. Well, when the clerk rang it up, he said "$35.81". So, I stood there, scared, thinking "What in the feth am I gonna do?" But then, I noticed a Take a penny\Leave a penny box with 6 pennies in it. I asked the clerk "Can I take a penny out of the red box?" and the clerk said "Sure, that's what it's there for." So I did, and went home with the bunker and $0.00.

Thing about it was, I checked my calculations again with an online Sales Tax Calculator (Rate was 8.5%), and I still got $35.80. I'm confused as to why it was $35.81 still.

Looking at this thread, I see you've got scarier stories than I've had.

Did you take into account any city/county taxes? Some cities and/or counties have been known to have as small as a quarter percent sales tax which sounds about right in your case.

'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in us
Bounding Assault Marine




running amok, against the reality of defeat

You were "scared" over a penny?
How old are you?

come join us
greg graffin 
   
Made in de
Regular Dakkanaut





bound for glory wrote:
You were "scared" over a penny?
How old are you?


To be honest, I took out £40 to buy something the other day and needed a bag to carry it.

...I had to pay the 5p for the bag on my card.

 
   
Made in us
Ancient Ultramarine Venerable Dreadnought






Illinois

Ghaz wrote:
 KaptinBadrukk wrote:
Here's another horror story

One day in August (I think) , I went to my FLGS to get an imperial bunker (which I painted as an Ultramarines bunker). I had calculated the total (including sales tax) at $35.80. Well, when the clerk rang it up, he said "$35.81". So, I stood there, scared, thinking "What in the feth am I gonna do?" But then, I noticed a Take a penny\Leave a penny box with 6 pennies in it. I asked the clerk "Can I take a penny out of the red box?" and the clerk said "Sure, that's what it's there for." So I did, and went home with the bunker and $0.00.

Thing about it was, I checked my calculations again with an online Sales Tax Calculator (Rate was 8.5%), and I still got $35.80. I'm confused as to why it was $35.81 still.

Looking at this thread, I see you've got scarier stories than I've had.

Did you take into account any city/county taxes? Some cities and/or counties have been known to have as small as a quarter percent sales tax which sounds about right in your case.


Sales tax rate was 8.5%. Maybe I did my math wrong.
bound for glory wrote:You were "scared" over a penny?
How old are you?


At the time, 14. But now I'm 16.

INSANE army lists still available!!!! Now being written in 8th edition format! I have Index Imperium 1, Index Imperium 2, Index Xenos 2, Codex Orks Codex Tyranids, Codex Blood Angels and Codex Space Marines!
PM me for an INSANE (100K+ points) if you desire.
 
   
Made in us
Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

 KaptinBadrukk wrote:
Ghaz wrote:
 KaptinBadrukk wrote:
Here's another horror story

One day in August (I think) , I went to my FLGS to get an imperial bunker (which I painted as an Ultramarines bunker). I had calculated the total (including sales tax) at $35.80. Well, when the clerk rang it up, he said "$35.81". So, I stood there, scared, thinking "What in the feth am I gonna do?" But then, I noticed a Take a penny\Leave a penny box with 6 pennies in it. I asked the clerk "Can I take a penny out of the red box?" and the clerk said "Sure, that's what it's there for." So I did, and went home with the bunker and $0.00.

Thing about it was, I checked my calculations again with an online Sales Tax Calculator (Rate was 8.5%), and I still got $35.80. I'm confused as to why it was $35.81 still.

Looking at this thread, I see you've got scarier stories than I've had.

Did you take into account any city/county taxes? Some cities and/or counties have been known to have as small as a quarter percent sales tax which sounds about right in your case.


Sales tax rate was 8.5%. Maybe I did my math wrong.

You didn't really answer my question though. Did that cover all sales taxes? For example, Ohio has a sales tax of 5.75%, but Cincinnati has an added sales tax that makes its 6.75%. Did you miss any local sales taxes?

'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in us
Ancient Ultramarine Venerable Dreadnought






Illinois

 Ghaz wrote:
 KaptinBadrukk wrote:
Ghaz wrote:
 KaptinBadrukk wrote:
Here's another horror story

One day in August (I think) , I went to my FLGS to get an imperial bunker (which I painted as an Ultramarines bunker). I had calculated the total (including sales tax) at $35.80. Well, when the clerk rang it up, he said "$35.81". So, I stood there, scared, thinking "What in the feth am I gonna do?" But then, I noticed a Take a penny\Leave a penny box with 6 pennies in it. I asked the clerk "Can I take a penny out of the red box?" and the clerk said "Sure, that's what it's there for." So I did, and went home with the bunker and $0.00.

Thing about it was, I checked my calculations again with an online Sales Tax Calculator (Rate was 8.5%), and I still got $35.80. I'm confused as to why it was $35.81 still.

Looking at this thread, I see you've got scarier stories than I've had.

Did you take into account any city/county taxes? Some cities and/or counties have been known to have as small as a quarter percent sales tax which sounds about right in your case.


Sales tax rate was 8.5%. Maybe I did my math wrong.

You didn't really answer my question though. Did that cover all sales taxes? For example, Ohio has a sales tax of 5.75%, but Cincinnati has an added sales tax that makes its 6.75%. Did you miss any local sales taxes?

State tax was 6.25%. Local tax was 2.25%. That adds up to 8.5%.

INSANE army lists still available!!!! Now being written in 8th edition format! I have Index Imperium 1, Index Imperium 2, Index Xenos 2, Codex Orks Codex Tyranids, Codex Blood Angels and Codex Space Marines!
PM me for an INSANE (100K+ points) if you desire.
 
   
Made in us
The Hammer of Witches





A new day, a new time zone.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:


The guy behind the counter was kind of passive in that he didn't like to argue with people, but I don't think he was being held there against his will, I just never got why the guy was pushing 80 hour weeks at a simple retail job. He's still there too, so he's been there at least 5 years doing this. Who knows, maybe he just loves chilling out at a hobby store all day.


Some people have very simple requirements for what they want out of life. If the job lets him do what he really enjoys doing (painting, getting to indulge his interests on the hobby side, whatever it is) pays him enough for whatever he feels he needs, and then I'd say he's found himself a good place.

"-Nonsense, the Inquisitor and his retinue are our hounoured guests, of course we should invite them to celebrate Four-armed Emperor-day with us..."
Thought for the Day - Never use the powerfist hand to wipe. 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





IL

 Powerfisting wrote:

I'm curious about the nature of this vampire game, though. Care to elaborate on that?


They ran the White Wolf Vampire rpg as a LARP style event (live action role playing) basically all the various players would dress up and act as their characters. They had some sort badge for stats and using powers, combat was handled by some sort of rock paper scissors mechanic. At least that's how it was supposed to be handled. Normally players are restricted to the property or venue where the LARP events are being run. That became a large part of why things went wrong, the players would wander all over the downtown and college area far away from the store. There were some incidents where they got in minor fights with non gamer people who were shopping in the area or going to the various bars (there's a ton of them in the area). Even though the game was supposed to be completely void of any weapons some of the players showed up with actual knives and swords which was potentially very dangerous, I heard that somebody had even brought a gun to one game although it was never proven.

Players would pay the store a club fee each night they wanted to play, usually $10 but I think they ended up charging $15-$20 if they had a keg night and drinks. They'd regularly have as many as 150-200 players attending on a given night even during the week and the weekend games were crazy big. (the store had a capacity of maybe 25-30 people at best and they were at minimum drawing a 100+ people nightly) The store owner was the main organizer and of course installed himself as the central vampire figure in the game, a couple of his friends and employees were also similarly involved with the game. They often have 2-3 games going on at the same time so it was a complete mess to try and keep track of.

The game largely devolved into more of an excuse for college frat type partying, except it was all vampire looking kids. There were kegs and alcohol being brought in by the owner or the owners friends even though the majority of the people there were high school age or at most early college, so they were illegally providing for under age kids. (The college kids that were legal age were out drinking at the regular bars that were only a block away). This became a major issue as the police ended up picking up drunk kids as young as 13 who were present and drinking or doing other things at these events. (The drinking also led to the situation with the owner having an arrest warrant issued for knocking up a 15 year old)

Some of the kids got strangely aggressive with their vampire personas, I had a couple instances where a few of them were trying to harass me in the parking lot as I was going into the store for card events. I was like WTF? and settled that pretty fast as I wasn't going to take crap from highschool kids (I was 24-25 at the time and teaching at a martial arts school) grabbed one of them by the neck and held him with a pressure point jab until he peed himself in front of his friends, I guess they can't keep acting like a tough scary vampire when their combat boots are swimming with their own piss.

The other people in town are the typical rich, uptight, white suburban fare and had no clue what was going on so it probably looked like a complete madhouse had descended on the store.

Despite having a college smack in the middle of it Naperville is a bit of an upscale money town and as a result they like to have a very clean image, there's plenty of upscale bars, coffee shops and wine boutiques etc all crammed into their downtown area which is two blocks away from the college so it can lead to some interesting and strange interactions between the kids and the adults. Back in the late 90's the vampire/goth crowd was something that the town decidedly did not want to embrace and they wanted it gone as it was viewed as being a haven for weirdos, freaks, etc. Over the last couple years the party scene in Naperville has shifted heavily to Heroin and heavy weight drugs, bored rich kids with no supervision.

A lot of it wasn't anything you wouldn't find going on with other group of drunk partying teenagers, but because they stuck out visually it draw more ire from the police and local township. I didn't have any real interest in LARPing so I was only vaguely aware of the stuff going on in the background but I was later filled in by my friend Russ who was working at the store at the time it closed down.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2015/12/25 04:33:28


Paulson Games parts are now at:
www.RedDogMinis.com 
   
Made in us
Cog in the Machine



Pittsburgh, PA

Wow some of these stories are kind of a crazy!

The worst I have had to deal with was the usual passive aggressive a**hole. This guy always looked down on everyone and had these snide underhanded comments. He was super annoying but he never really got more hostile than this.

From a store perspective, to the outside eye the old game shop I used to go to was kind of messy. The trash was overflowing with pizza boxes, and it was more of a club than a store. I loved the place though, and the owner was an awesome guy. Really sad when it closed.
   
Made in us
Praetorian




Bangor, PA

I love the stories in this thread! LOL

I used to manage a local game store in northern NJ. It's not around anymore. Long story, but it boils down to a disagreement between the owners (I was the manager, and didn't own any of the business) that led to some questionable financial decisions that led to the store going belly-up.

Anyhow, there are SO many horror stories about awful owners & managers, but customers definitely generate their own healthy share.

Here's one of my favorites:

We had the GW Bitz Wagon (or whatever it was called) come to our store for this big event. They brought; multiple GW employees, the old Outrider program guys, a huge selection of bits for purchase, an 18x6 scenery setup that was the Gates of Terra, and all this cool stuff. It was amazing. We moved all of our gaming tables out of the way, set up the entire store to accommodate the big scenery table. We had something like 60 players come to the shop to play on it or watch. Imperials vs Chaos.

The scenery was unbelievable; the level of quality you'd see at a Games Day display; lights, water effects, movable doors, the whole nine yards. The Gates of Terra display had these huge towers flanking the gates themselves. Stood up maybe 18 inches off the tabletop. On the tops of them were these communication towers; kind of looked like old-timey radio towers, but all 40K-ified. Beautiful.

So, what makes this a horror story, you ask? Sounds like a fun event, you say? Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong..... Because we haven't talked about the folks who showed up to participate. Oh Lord, save us from the wrath & stupidity of the slack-jawed, chromosomally-challenged, super-fan troglodytes who showed up that day.

This little trio of dudes showed up. Guessing they were father and sons. One was like 55ish, the other two were maybe in their late teens. All three were dressed in matching military surplus fatigues. Urban camo, hats, jungle boots, the whole shebang. No idea where they were from, but we never saw them before or after. These guys were the worst. The oldest one kept shouting at the top of his lungs, just as excited as he could possibly be. I mean, if the guy had wet his pants in excitement, not a soul would have been surprised.

These three kept talking in "Imperial Guard speak".... they were like bad extras from a Gaunt's Ghost novel. Anytime one of the other guys, from the Chaos side, said anything jokey about how the Imperials were going to lose, these three nimrods would get in his face, shouting about the Emperor, about how Horus was this-or-that-expletive, and how they (the other players) were traitors and rebels and sons-a-goats for forsaking humanity in its time of need.

My hand to God, these dudes were basically using our event to do some sort of half-baked Crappy Guardsman LARP. LOL. Or maybe there was a 40K-themed Backyard Wrestling tag-team tryout happening nearby, and these guys left early to come attend my store's event.

So, the event starts, and our local GW rep gets the table set up to start deployment. Someone asks a perfectly reasonable question about where things can be deployed. The GW rep says simply "Anywhere within your deployment zone; if the model fits, it can be deployed there.". All seems good. 57 out of 60 attendees understand perfectly what that means.

Of course our intrepid band of reality-denying mental giants does not understand. How could they? Between chest-bumping each other while shouting "Cadia! F&*# Yeah!!" and screaming "You chaos scum want some of THIS?!?" while jabbing fingers into the chests of the other players, they just didn't have time to pay attention.

The deployment phase starts. Chaos goes first. Everything goes smoothly.

Imperial goes second. Everyone else places models on the board in a reasonable adult-human-being type manner. Now our three "heroes" go. They wait until last, to squeeze maximum advantage out of their placement. "Dad" starts shouting things like "Show them the full might of the IMPERIAL WAR MACHINE, BOYS!!" and unpacking these awfully painted Basilisks and Leman Russes.

But there's no room to deploy them. Because they waited too long, and now all the real estate outside the Gates of Terra is taken. They have to put their tanks inside the walls, where they won't be able to fire on anything.

So, without even hesitating, these champions start grabbing the terrain features on top of the walls surrounding the Gates, and begin snapping them off. To make room to balance their fifteen or so tanks on top of the walls.

Let me repeat that, in case it sounds too absurd: They start snapping off the cool sculpted radio towers, the 'Eavy Metal painted guardsmen minis, the flags with the imperial eagle on them, all of it.

This happens in about 10 seconds. Snap snap snap. Break break break. Crumple, twist, crunch. Just ruining this beautiful scenery table. Little twists of broken plastic popping off, bouncing across the table.

We all stare on in horror. The GW guys looked like they wanted to choke these guys to death. No one knows how to react at first. I mean, what do you do in a situation like that? It takes a minute or two to even process it.

Then our three noble paragons of imperial virtue start precariously balancing their tanks atop the walls. Just totally pleased with themselves, with how they've given their side the edge. They high-five each other and start gloating, explaining to the Chaos players how all traitors can now apply oral suction to the nether regions of tremendously endowed Imperial heroes.

Like ten minutes later, they were on the sidewalk outside the store, with all their models & cases lying in a heap at their feet, confused as to why they'd been ejected from the event, demanding a refund of their entry fee, and screaming about how we should reimburse them for the gas money they'd spent to drive to our shop.

True story.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2015/12/26 16:43:43


The object of a game is to win. The *point* of a game is to have fun. Never confuse the two.

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Terrifying Treeman






The Fallen Realm of Umbar

I.. wha? But, why? The frell were they thinking? I am glad I've nothing of the sort where I play.

DT:90-S++G++M++B+IPw40k07+D+A+++/cWD-R+T(T)DM+
Horst wrote:This is how trolling happens. A few cheeky posts are made. Then they get more insulting. Eventually, we revert to our primal animal state, hurling feces at each other while shreeking with glee.

 
   
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Praetorian




Bangor, PA

Well, I mean they needed line of sight for their Leman Russes & Basilisks. And in their minds, they were justified in doing what they did, I guess.... LOL

The running joke after that incident was that we should make baseball caps that have a basilisk mounted on them. That way the tanks always has line of sight, and no one needs to break the terrain.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/12/26 16:40:47


The object of a game is to win. The *point* of a game is to have fun. Never confuse the two.

My P&M Blog! Scratch-built AOS Demons, RPG figures, & random Other Stuff.
 
   
Made in us
Monstrous Master Moulder




Rust belt

Earlier this year at one of the local shops they where hosting a xwing store championship. The gaming area at this local shop is under a pizza restaurant which is very handy when your hungry. During the event a young man next to me got covered in soda pop that started gushing from the ceiling. I guess the line that ran to the pop machine in the pizza shop above ruptured spilling gallons of pop.
   
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Preacher of the Emperor




At a Place, Making Dolls Great Again

 Ulf wrote:
Well, I mean they needed line of sight for their Leman Russes & Basilisks. And in their minds, they were justified in doing what they did, I guess.... LOL

The running joke after that incident was that we should make baseball caps that have a basilisk mounted on them. That way the tanks always has line of sight, and no one needs to break the terrain.


I thought a Basilisk could fire indirectly?

Make Dolls Great Again
Clover/Trump 2016
For the United Shelves of America! 
   
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Praetorian




Bangor, PA

Yup. They sure can.

The object of a game is to win. The *point* of a game is to have fun. Never confuse the two.

My P&M Blog! Scratch-built AOS Demons, RPG figures, & random Other Stuff.
 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran




Mississippi

 Ulf wrote:
Well, I mean they needed line of sight for their Leman Russes & Basilisks. And in their minds, they were justified in doing what they did, I guess.... LOL

The running joke after that incident was that we should make baseball caps that have a basilisk mounted on them. That way the tanks always has line of sight, and no one needs to break the terrain.


Honestly I'd rather have another knife pulled on me than have my models broken. First snap and me and daddy dearest would'a rolled.

Now for another one. Working in a game store was a ton of fun and the after hours games were honestly some of the best times of my life. Well, until one of the players got a little miffed at his dice rolling poorly and chucked one so hard at the metal security gate that it was reduced to mostly powder and fragments. He was no small dude and the thing went off like a Chessex brand hand grenade.

Took a while for him to earn a return invite.
   
Made in gb
Worthiest of Warlock Engineers






preston

I... I dont even.... They broke the big scenic piece because they where so stupid as to not bother deploying?!

Free from GW's tyranny and the hobby is looking better for it
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Praetorian




Bangor, PA

Pretty much, yeah.

They didn't demolish the entire display, or make it unplayable or anything... just systematically snapped off all the little scenic bits on top of the walls, to make room for their tanks.

It was something, all right. I have some pictures of that event somewhere, before everyone started playing. I'll try and dig them up, add them to my first post.

The object of a game is to win. The *point* of a game is to have fun. Never confuse the two.

My P&M Blog! Scratch-built AOS Demons, RPG figures, & random Other Stuff.
 
   
Made in gb
Posts with Authority






Norn Iron

Ulf: I cried.

Chute82 wrote:The gaming area at this local shop is under a pizza restaurant which is very handy when your hungry. During the event a young man next to me got covered in soda pop that started gushing from the ceiling.


Then I loled.

Mr.Church13 wrote:Well, until one of the players got a little miffed at his dice rolling poorly and chucked one so hard at the metal security gate that it was reduced to mostly powder and fragments.


I used to go to a club that had a guy who did that for fun.

Used to.

Ulf wrote:I'll try and dig them up, add them to my first post.


I'd very much like to see those, but would it be easier to stick them in your next post? Or both.

I'm sooo, sooo sorry.

Plog - Random sculpts and OW Helves 9/3/23 
   
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Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator





Pittsburgh, PA, USA

 Ulf wrote:
I love the stories in this thread! LOL

Spoiler:

I used to manage a local game store in northern NJ. It's not around anymore. Long story, but it boils down to a disagreement between the owners (I was the manager, and didn't own any of the business) that led to some questionable financial decisions that led to the store going belly-up.

Anyhow, there are SO many horror stories about awful owners & managers, but customers definitely generate their own healthy share.

Here's one of my favorites:

We had the GW Bitz Wagon (or whatever it was called) come to our store for this big event. They brought; multiple GW employees, the old Outrider program guys, a huge selection of bits for purchase, an 18x6 scenery setup that was the Gates of Terra, and all this cool stuff. It was amazing. We moved all of our gaming tables out of the way, set up the entire store to accommodate the big scenery table. We had something like 60 players come to the shop to play on it or watch. Imperials vs Chaos.

The scenery was unbelievable; the level of quality you'd see at a Games Day display; lights, water effects, movable doors, the whole nine yards. The Gates of Terra display had these huge towers flanking the gates themselves. Stood up maybe 18 inches off the tabletop. On the tops of them were these communication towers; kind of looked like old-timey radio towers, but all 40K-ified. Beautiful.

So, what makes this a horror story, you ask? Sounds like a fun event, you say? Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong..... Because we haven't talked about the folks who showed up to participate. Oh Lord, save us from the wrath & stupidity of the slack-jawed, chromosomally-challenged, super-fan troglodytes who showed up that day.

This little trio of dudes showed up. Guessing they were father and sons. One was like 55ish, the other two were maybe in their late teens. All three were dressed in matching military surplus fatigues. Urban camo, hats, jungle boots, the whole shebang. No idea where they were from, but we never saw them before or after. These guys were the worst. The oldest one kept shouting at the top of his lungs, just as excited as he could possibly be. I mean, if the guy had wet his pants in excitement, not a soul would have been surprised.

These three kept talking in "Imperial Guard speak".... they were like bad extras from a Gaunt's Ghost novel. Anytime one of the other guys, from the Chaos side, said anything jokey about how the Imperials were going to lose, these three nimrods would get in his face, shouting about the Emperor, about how Horus was this-or-that-expletive, and how they (the other players) were traitors and rebels and sons-a-goats for forsaking humanity in its time of need.

My hand to God, these dudes were basically using our event to do some sort of half-baked Crappy Guardsman LARP. LOL. Or maybe there was a 40K-themed Backyard Wrestling tag-team tryout happening nearby, and these guys left early to come attend my store's event.

So, the event starts, and our local GW rep gets the table set up to start deployment. Someone asks a perfectly reasonable question about where things can be deployed. The GW rep says simply "Anywhere within your deployment zone; if the model fits, it can be deployed there.". All seems good. 57 out of 60 attendees understand perfectly what that means.

Of course our intrepid band of reality-denying mental giants does not understand. How could they? Between chest-bumping each other while shouting "Cadia! F&*# Yeah!!" and screaming "You chaos scum want some of THIS?!?" while jabbing fingers into the chests of the other players, they just didn't have time to pay attention.

The deployment phase starts. Chaos goes first. Everything goes smoothly.

Imperial goes second. Everyone else places models on the board in a reasonable adult-human-being type manner. Now our three "heroes" go. They wait until last, to squeeze maximum advantage out of their placement. "Dad" starts shouting things like "Show them the full might of the IMPERIAL WAR MACHINE, BOYS!!" and unpacking these awfully painted Basilisks and Leman Russes.

But there's no room to deploy them. Because they waited too long, and now all the real estate outside the Gates of Terra is taken. They have to put their tanks inside the walls, where they won't be able to fire on anything.

So, without even hesitating, these champions start grabbing the terrain features on top of the walls surrounding the Gates, and begin snapping them off. To make room to balance their fifteen or so tanks on top of the walls.

Let me repeat that, in case it sounds too absurd: They start snapping off the cool sculpted radio towers, the 'Eavy Metal painted guardsmen minis, the flags with the imperial eagle on them, all of it.

This happens in about 10 seconds. Snap snap snap. Break break break. Crumple, twist, crunch. Just ruining this beautiful scenery table. Little twists of broken plastic popping off, bouncing across the table.

We all stare on in horror. The GW guys looked like they wanted to choke these guys to death. No one knows how to react at first. I mean, what do you do in a situation like that? It takes a minute or two to even process it.

Then our three noble paragons of imperial virtue start precariously balancing their tanks atop the walls. Just totally pleased with themselves, with how they've given their side the edge. They high-five each other and start gloating, explaining to the Chaos players how all traitors can now apply oral suction to the nether regions of tremendously endowed Imperial heroes.

Like ten minutes later, they were on the sidewalk outside the store, with all their models & cases lying in a heap at their feet, confused as to why they'd been ejected from the event, demanding a refund of their entry fee, and screaming about how we should reimburse them for the gas money they'd spent to drive to our shop.

True story.



If this story is true, most blame rests squarely on the store and GW staff running the event. Even if it's in "good fun", being absurdly bombastic, using foul language, or intimidating other players requires a private chat with the offending parties. They can either dial it back a few notches, or their entry fee will be refunded and they'll be asked to leave. I understand that GW encourages some of this buffoonery, but even they have to understand where a line has been crossed.

People forget that an average game of 40K probably has about $1000 worth of minis on the tabletop. Let's not even try to quantify the hours involved in painting two tabletop standard armies. A big game may have models totaling the cost of an automobile and years of man-hours spent on hobbying. A certain amount of decorum and respect have to be present at large games, and that's the staff's job to enforce.

   
 
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